Three maxims

The Olympic maxim “Citius, Altius, Fortius” is known in English as “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.” Here are athletes who have been just that in recent days.

Swifter: Sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross and shot putter Reese Hoffa recorded world-leading marks at the Prefontaine Classic. Richards-Ross ran a 49.39 in the 400 and Hoffa recorded a toss of 71 feet, 6 1/2 inches.

Higher: Or in this case, straighter: Jamie Gray held just a one-point lead over Amanda Furrer on Thursday in the second day of the U.S. shooting trials for women’s three-position smallbore rifle. Abbie Stanec of Sharon Center in Medina County was not among the top eight finalists after Wednesday’s opening round.

Stronger: By a margin of 1.75 points, Massillon native and Oak Harbor resident Jacob Wukie claimed the third of three U.S. Olympic team slots in archery at the team trials. World No. 1 Brady Ellison, Jake Kaminski and Miranda Leek also clinched spots.

Five rings

There are five rings in the Olympic logo. Here are five circles on the sports calendar as athletes prepare for the London Games July 27-Aug. 12.

Friday-Sunday, whitewater canoe and kayak: Five U.S. Olympic slots are at stake at the ICF Slalom World Cup No. 1 in Cardiff, Wales, and Toledo native Scott Parsons leads the men with the most qualification points heading into the competition.

Friday-Sunday, gymnastics: Visa Championships in St. Louis determine who advances to the Olympic Trials June 28-July 1 in San Jose, where the U.S. team will be decided. Shawn Johnson, the 2008 Olympic all-around silver medalist, ended her comeback from a serious knee injury this week.

Friday-Monday, shooting: U.S. Olympic team trials for smallbore rifle, Ft. Benning, Ga. Olympic selection for one women’s three-position rifle slot and the two nominees in men’s rapid fire pistol will be determined Friday. The last Olympic spot in men’s three-position rifle begins Saturday and finishes Monday.

June 21-July 1, track and field: U.S. Team Trials, Eugene, Ore. Steeplechaser Bridget Franek of Hiram and shot putter Dan Taylor of Burton are among those expected to compete.

June 25-July 2, swimming: U.S. Team Trials, Omaha, Neb. Shaw High grad Eddis Singleton recently qualified and is expected to compete.

London calling

Singing lessons are next for some British Olympians: Great Britain’s foreign-born Olympic athletes, who have been dubbed “Plastic Brits” by some media, will be expected to know the words to the national anthem, even if they chose not to sing on the awards podium.

It became an issue when Britain’s U.S.-born track and field captain Tiffany Porter dodged questions at the world indoor championships about whether she knew the words. She said she did, but declined to sing them. British coach Charles Van Commenee assured Brits his athletes “know the words, or they will.”

“I’m not going to rehearse everybody but people that matter — let’s say the relevant ones, the ones on [the media’s] radar,” said Van Commenee, who is Dutch.

— Tim Warsinskey

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Had he turned pro after the 2008 Olympics, Cincinnati's Rau'shee Warren figures he could have been a world champion right now. He wanted to be a gold medalist first.

"But I feel like everyone's got their time to shine," Warren said. "I feel like my life is about to start shining after the Olympics. Right now, I'm focusing on going over there and representing my country and, me being the vet, pushing my teammates."

Warren, a 25-year-old flyweight (114 pounds), is the first three-time Olympian in United States boxing history, a rarity created by the trials upset that landed him on the 2004 team as a 17-year-old and the first fight upset that knocked him out of the Games as a 21-year-old medal favorite in 2008.

Following his disappointment in China, his stock was down. He didn't like the offers and the attitudes he faced while pondering a pro step, so he decided to take one more run at a medal in London.

"It was very tempting," he said. "There was a lot of pressure and a lot of people pushing me to go, saying how fast I could become a world champion. At the end, it came down to me, it was my decision.

"They were trying to get me to buy into it and trying to get me to sign because they felt it was my last chance, that I've got to go professional. That's what made me turn a different way."

Warren instead decided to compete in the World Series of Boxing, a hybrid organization created two years ago that serves as a bridge between amateur and professional boxing and allows fighters to earn money from their bouts while maintaining Olympic eligibility. Between those fights and the stipend he receives from USA Boxing, Warren, who said he grew up poor in some rough neighborhoods in Cincinnati, had more than enough to chase his gold and support a family that now includes two young children.

Roadell Hickman/The Plain DealerRau'shee Warren, left, is the first three-time Olympic boxer in U.S. history.

Warren believes others fighters who should have retained their amateur status jumped at the chance to turn pro because they were scared to miss their opportunity. He believes his best chance is turn pro with a gold medal, and his World Series of Boxing fights have made him a better fighter than a pro career would have.

"We're fighting the top athletes, we're not just fighting bums," Warren said. "In the pros at the beginning, you're fighting bums."

There is a chance that by the 2016 Olympics, professionals will be allowed to fight. Warren said he wouldn't want world champions in there, but he would favor younger pros with, for instance, 15 or fewer professional fights who are still learning or on the way up.

For these games, Warren is the old pro of this amateur team.

"It's awesome," said USA featherweight (123 pounds) and first-time Olympian Joseph Diaz, Jr. "I can take in all the experience he has and learn everything he tells me. He's a great fighter and he can teach us all that stuff. And I think this year, he'll be bringing back that gold medal."

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